Facts
¤ NHC never encourages Masters to fight with all available means even when facing the more brutal pirates in the Indian Ocean. NHC always encourages our members and clients to focus on saving lives and preserving the environment and assets if any crisis situations occur.
¤ All seafarers must remember that the "Ship Security Alert System" (SSAS) button is the quickest and easiest way of notifying law enforcement agencies if an attack occurs and bridge crew is short of time. Pressing this button should be combined with the other notification procedures in place for the GoA and/or Indian Ocean transit for each specific vessel/object.
¤ NHC also encourages all our members and clients to internally discuss any security measure and use those you as a company find the most appropriate and sufficient for the specific vessel in protecting your crew and assets. If this means that our clients want to arrange for a citadel to be built, we have no objections as long as all modifications are in accordance with Class.
¤ As a final point we would like to highlight the fact that all Leaders must remember that if the worst case occurs, one shall have to live with the decisions one took pre transit and explain them when facing next of kin, colleagues and media. etc.
As a globally recognized quality marine insurer, NHC has seen several cases where clients have been involved in piracy situations. These cases are not as straight forward as a standard H&M or LOH claim. Always being prepared for worst case, the NHC in-house Piracy Team consists of experienced former military officers from various services, and this team strives to be continuously updated on the current situations and conditions for the week to come. We ask NHC`s piracy expert Stein Are Hansen if some advices can be put forward to the shipping companies that operates in piracy infected waters.
"Yes, but bearing in mind that each voyage is different depending on vessel characteristics, onboard security measures, and flag and weather conditions to mention a few variables," Hansen underlines.
What to do if planning a GoA / Indian Ocean transit?
"The Maritime Security Center Horn Of Africa (MSCHOA) web page (http://www.mschoa.org/ ) is a good place for registering a transit and getting overall info. It also contains numerous descriptive tips in ways of preparing a vessel pre transit in pirate infested waters. Another document which we consider as more or less mandatory reading in getting the required info pre transit is the Best Manning Practice (BMP), version number 3. Both sources are continuously updated and will give you the basic knowledge in how to prepare and deal with a piracy incident from a ship perspective. If you find this information short, clients should approach their Leading War/Piracy Underwriter for more guidance."
How about onboard Security?
"NHC is more or less approached by new security companies every month. All claiming has to have a new way of making sure that their clients do not get hijacked, ranging from non-lethal weapons, making pirates nauseous when within range, to private security corridors close to Yemen.
NHC never recommends a specific security company as we do not want to take part in the daily operation of vessels as an insurer. However we have a good dialogue with some companies that we consider amongst the better if our clients should require some guidance within the security jungle.
NHC is of the opinion that each client should apply the necessary precautions which they feel are appropriate for a voyage in pirate infested waters. If an onboard armed security provider is chosen please bear in mind that flag state rules outside Territorial Waters (TTW) and Coastal State Rules inside TTW must be adhered to. Class and Flag State requirements must not be jeopardized if onboard modifications are made, as compliance with Class and Statutory Rules is a requirement for insurance."
What is the difference between Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean?
"Indian Ocean cases compared to our GoA cases have all displayed the fact that Indian Ocean cases are more violent if such a word fits within a hijacking scenario. GoA pirates can afford to wait for a slower and less prepared vessel with a lower freeboard. An Indian Ocean pirate does not have this luxury as he might see 1 or 2 vessels a week and have limited amounts of fuel and water if not operating from a previous hijacked vessel as "mother vessel". Therefore we see well prepared vessels with SOA of up to 20 kts being attacked and a few of them hijacked in the Indian Ocean. This is due to the fact that the Indian Ocean pirates operating from smaller mother vessels will do their utmost as the vessel in sight represents their one opportunity for possibly days to come. We have seen attacks lasting several hours with numerous RPGs being fired into the superstructure for a long period of time combined with hundreds of rounds of small arms fire.
Some vessels that frequently transit the Indian Ocean are modified with citadels or emergency rooms with stand alone communication aids wired into the room. This is so the crew can hide away safely for a given period of time and await and communicate with military rescue if within reach. One should never solely trust that the nearest military naval vessel has the capability to conduct an opposed boarding as Special Forces units are spread around, depending on ongoing missions within the entire operating area. Glossy stories in the media the last few weeks might lure seafarers into a warm comfort that it's a quick fix if hidden in a citadel, but one should always prepare and plan for worst case as the Beluga incident sadly proved."